Full Moon Shadows
by a.man.man
Summary: After graduation day, it was mostly a haze to him. Brought back into the world, he faces phenomena that were supposed to have ended... as well as beings that he never knew existed.
1. A New World Fool

On the promised day, he sacrificed himself to save them all. Each of his friends, in their own way, had moved on; rather understandable, considering they couldn't do anything to alter his fate.

But she could, and finally, she would be able to fulfill her wish.

–

Melissa McCall thought today was going to be a usual day. Well, as usual as a day could get when your son was a werewolf.

It had been a little more than a month since the incident with Gerard Argent had finally ended, and to be fair, the situation seemed to be stuck at an uneasy peace. Truthfully, she had no idea what was going on with the supernatural: she hadn't asked, and her son hadn't told. It seemed like life was... normal again.

Of course, this normalcy shattered immediately and immensely the moment a young woman with blue attire–oddly reminding Melissa of a bellboy–platinum blonde hair and golden eyes smashed open the door and unceremoniously plopped an unconscious teenager on the nearest soft surface. She "requested" that Melissa, as a nurse, check up on the boy, who had dark blue hair.

_Okay, she is definitely not human. And how the hell did she know I was a nurse anyway? Or where I live?_

She then promptly left, saying she couldn't be there when he woke up. A few moments later, her son burst into the room, eyes glowing and growling that he smelt death. He apparently didn't meet the woman on his way in; it was like she completely disappeared.

–

The last thing Minato Arisato remembered: acting as a seal to prevent humanity's malice from destroying humanity's will to live.

_So... why am I waking up in a hospital? …It **is** a little nostalgic, to be honest._

His thoughts echoed clearly in his head, and Minato frowned. He couldn't feel Nyx or Erebus, or even most of his personas. The latter _had_ happened when Aigis inherited his power, but that was supposed to be only temporary.

He raised his hands, staring at them. They looked exactly the same as they did when brushed the tears out of the robot's–sorry, former robot's–eyes. And yet… he was supposed to be dead. Resting his hands back on the white sheets, he wearily raised his head and brushed away his navy hair from his eyes. The blinds to his room were open, and in the midst of the starry night hung the moon. His head wearily tilted back onto the pillow.

_It's... almost full. Just a few more days..._

What happened to him? To S.E.E.S? To Nyx and Erebus? To the Seal? To the world? Had Apathy Syndrome returned? There were too many things he didn't understand, and his panic didn't allow him to hear the door softly open.

"Master Minato, I must be quick." The clear voice jolted him: Elizabeth. He turned, his gray eyes gazing into the other's golden ones. The attendant had an oddly pained look on her face, and she interrupted him before he said anything; her voice was hurried and hushed. "What defines life is bonds, not death… you found that answer before. Thus, your death wasn't necessary for the seal… I was able to substitute your life for your bonds." Her voice wavered for a second, but she didn't slow down her rapid explanation. It didn't take much for Minato to realize what she just implied. "As such, if you reform the same bonds on Earth–thus manifesting them in the material world, so to speak–their counterparts in the subconscious will weaken… so I ask you to not try to reform them again. Form new links here, in a place that your old life cannot find you."

He could see the wistfulness in her eyes, and their slight glistening expressed her true emotions as her voice grew softer. "Yes, I could have seen you anytime I wanted when you were the seal… but I mustn't be selfish. You deserve a normal life. " She finally paused for a second, taking a deep breath, and Minato tried to get a question in, his voice shaky.

"Can you... find another way? I know it's arrogant to ask, but–"

"Not at all, I've already started. I… truly wish to see you again." The affection in her voice was palpable, as was the sadness. "However, right now… the seal is weakening as we speak. I must go." She turned and left before he could say another word, with only the creak of the door as a reminder of her visit. Minato closed his eyes as he felt a dull pain in his chest. It had all happened so quickly, almost like a dream – well, more like a nightmare. But it _had_ happened, hadn't it?

_This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter._

He gave a short, pained sigh as he remembered Igor's words about the Velvet Room. This "meeting" could have been described the same way.

_I'm supposed to suddenly have a new life, filled with strangers and the unknown? The last time that happened… I did made unbreakable bonds. Huh._

His bonds were the source of his power. That they no longer technically existed explained why he did not feel a persona. Well, that and the fact that death was no longer sealed inside of him. He tried to sit up, but exhaustion caught up and he went down again. Lying on bed of hospital bed, he wondered how he would fare in a completely unknown place, full of unknown people wanting to ask him so many questions.

He looked for the first human who would enter the doors to his hospital room. Maybe they had seen Elizabeth. A soft creak announced the presence of a middle-aged woman with a worried and frazzled look, a nurse according to her attire; that was good. She was American; that was bad. Following her was a man who wore the "sheriff" uniforms he saw in American movies. His narrowed eyes reminded Minato of Officer Kurosawa; that was worse. And behind him was a young boy–with a deceptively innocent face and a glint in his eye that hinted at his nature–who Minato _knew_ was not a normal human by any meaning of the word.

_He's... dangerous. I don't know why, but I know he is._

Maybe it was his subconscious; he did have a clearer connection to it than most, considering he spent _quite _some time in there. It seemed that Minato could now "sense" strangeness, but that could be tested later. Right now he needed an alibi, and fast. And a past, he realized with a familiar pang of pain. He couldn't be traced back to Japan, let alone the Kirijo Group or Gekkoukan High.

Before any of them could bombard him with questions, he asked one of his own in a weak but inquisitive voice. "Where am I? What time is it?" He was thankful Ms. Toriumi–aka Maya–was such a good Composition teacher. His English wasn't too bad, even if it was accented.

The woman's face broke into a smile as she spoke to him with a practiced voice of a nurse, warm and soothing. "Hey there. You're in the Beacon Hills Hospital." At Minato's look, she hesitantly continued. "In... California; you know where that is, right? What's your name?" She then sighed and gave a small laugh, saying "You've actually been out for a week. We were worried you wouldn't wake up."

Well, at least Minato knew where California was. He supposed that the others couldn't find him if they tried: this wasn't a place they would particularly notice. Perhaps Elizabeth sent him here for this reason. Internally shaking his head, he quickly cleared his mind of those kinds of questions. The only way to truly know was to ask the elevator attendant, and he might not be able to do that for a long time.

_But… what name do I give?_

Minato Arisato was technically a dead person; hopefully no one here was a fan of Japanese obituaries. Maybe he could fake amnesia? No, that would make them try to search for his identity. He had to make up his own past. "Um… Yuki Makoto." He gave a short pause as he wondered whether the name was generic enough. "Well, I guess it's Makoto Yuki here..." he trailed off, but the implications were not lost on the sheriff, who slightly raised an eyebrow.

His voice was inquisitive. "Not from around here?"

Minato shook his head. "I just move around, so I'm not really from anywhere. I... don't really have a place to stay." It was a painful realization that this wasn't a complete lie. It reminded him of his situation before he got involved with everything.

"And family?" There was concern in his voice, almost like he knew the answer already.

Minato answered in a shaky voice. "My parents died… in a car accident in 1999. And I don't really have relatives or siblings." He decided to add a little more information… even if it was false. "Um… if it's any help, I'm eighteen." Well, he just exaggerated by one year… so it wasn't too bad of lie.

I'm not exactly sure how it works over here, but its probably best if they don't treat me like a minor. On that note… how long has it been, really?

He heard the nurse whisper to herself, and his question was answered. It was 2013. He had been the seal for four years… Considering that he was supposed to guard it for eternity–or at least until humanity no longer wished for death–a few years seemed like nothing.

I'm supposed to be twenty one, but everyone here thinks my parents died when I was 4... I'll have to remember that.

The now-familiar voice of the sheriff interrupted his thoughts. "And… you've been on your own since then?"

Minato shook his head once again. "I've been in a few foster homes, but once I got old enough…" He trailed off, knowing the sheriff would understand his meaning. The man was perceptive yet also concerned for him, even if he didn't directly show it. Minato didn't want to look at the other two people in the room. Pitying a liar would be insulting.

After a long time of rather uncomfortable silence, he heard the nurse's voice. "Well, we've been talking about it, and decided that we'd ask you if you'd like to live with us. Atleast until you've recovered. Of course, you should still go to school, even if it's halfway through the academic year."

His head snapped up. The woman was giving the boy–who hadn't said anything at all, but was looking rather uncomfortable–a meaningful glance, but quickly turned to Minato again.

_Wait, is he even allowed to be here?_

She gave him a familiar warm smile. "My name's Melissa McCall, and this here is my son, Scott. It's nice to meet you, Makoto."

Minato paused, considering what had just been offered to him. He made another attempt to get up, ignoring the light protests that were made by both his body and the other people in the room. He was still so tired.

His face broke into a small smile. "I think I'd like that, McCall-sama." He hoped he was pronouncing her name right. He really didn't want to impose, but her suggestion seemed like the most preferable option right now.

"How polite. Please, you can just call me Melissa. Anyway, the weekend's just started, so don't worry about school right now; my son can show you around on Monday."

Minato heard a familiar voice ringing in his head.

**Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...  
****Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Empress Arcana…**

_The Empress represents motherhood and the life it brings forth._

Minato didn't discontinue his smile. Mr. Edogawa's lectures were a bit more useful than most thought, even if the man was strange.

_But Mitsuru's the Empress, right? This must be the new bond Elizabeth mentioned…_

"What was the last thing you remember?" Once again, the sheriff's voice brought him back to reality.

"I was really tired. I don't remember much, really… I'm pretty sure I wasn't that close to here before." More technical truth: on graduation day, it took all he had to not fade away. And the last place he remembered being in–albeit rather hazily–was in the subconsciousness of humanity.

"Well, its understandable you'd think that. There's not much around here, but it's probably not safe for a kid to just wander around. Even if you have a fake gun... which, by the way, is a model I've never seen before." There's was noticeable disapproval in the sheriff's voice, and Minato found his heart almost stopping.

_Fake gun? …It must be my Evoker; I wonder if I can still use it. What could they find out from it? There's SEES printed on it, but the Kirijo Group might make sure research is useless._

_Hey, did I come here in my uniform? That… would not be good at all._

_Wait. Please tell me fake guns are legal here._

He tried to keep his voice calm. "Well, you know how it is… I've never had to use it anyway."

He stifled a yawn. Sleep was rapidly catching up to him, and the sheriff seemed to notice it before he could formulate another question. "All right then… we'll continue this discussion later. Try not to exert yourself."

To be honest, Minato was a little surprised when he heard the voice ring in his head for the second time.

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...**  
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Emperor Arcana…

_The Emperor represents fathering and relates to leadership and decision-making skills._

It actually didn't seem like an interrogation would lead to a social link. Then he reminded himself of how he started the link with Tanaka, and decided to accept what just happened.

_Discussion? It's an interrogation… and I know it's your job, but doesn't mean I have to like it._

Even if he was being business-like, it was once again clear that the man was concerned for him. It was a little comforting, actually. Minato nodded to himself after his mental apology. For now, this would have to do. He plopped back on the pillow, just now noticing that Scott and Melissa seemed to have been absent for last few minutes. He really needed to pay more attention.

He dimly realized that he didn't get the sheriff's name before rapidly falling asleep.

He didn't dream. Instead, he slowly started to remember his death and the Abyss of Time. It was hazy, but he could remember what his friends did: fighting Shadows and each other, visiting their memories and finding the truth.

He wondered if he would ever see any of them again.

––––––––––

The plot's been bouncing around in my head for quite some time, even if the two series are really different.

Yeah, I guess the first chapter has more exposition than anything else.

And social links, yay. I've pretty much decided the Arcana, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll still keep track of them at the end of every chapter.

III. Empress (Melissa McCall): 1

IV. Emperor (Sheriff Stilinski): 1


	2. Unsettling Premonition

Minato woke up–figuratively–as soon as he remembered everything… to a very familiar scene. Those four years, experiencing humanity's malice and desire for death, the countless voices screaming for demise, and Nyx just waiting for him to weaken, for him to slip so that she could bestow her "gift" once again... he didn't want to think about it anymore. He might not have wanted to remember it either, but one thing was certain for him: if it was necessary to return to being the seal, he would do it _without_ hesitation.

Anyone who was observing Minato would note that his sleep had a restless start.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room," came the voice of Igor. "I believe I need not explain the nature of this place to you."

The old guest opened his eyes to see the scene was less familiar than he thought. The comfortable seats and low table were the same, but gone was the elevator. Instead, there was open space as far as he could see. The neverending blue–that faded to black at the horizons–would normally be unnerving, but he felt at peace; the room was surprisingly well lighted, eliciting wonder rather than a feeling of minisculity. It could hardly be called a room.

Igor answered his question about this region before he even asked it. "The form of the Velvet Room depends on the guest. Since you have already found your answer, it is not surprising that it took this form," he said with a light chuckle before continuing. "Let me introduce my assistant, Margaret." He ceased interlocking his fingers for a moment to gesture at Elizabeth's successor. The woman gave a curt nod and a tight smile. Her basic features–platinum hair, yellow eyes, and blue attire–were the same, but she seemed more mature, with a less whimsical expression.

"You're... Elizabeth's sister, right? She's mentioned you to me."

She gave another curt nod. "Yes. And you are the reason she left the Velvet Room, right? She's mentioned you to me as well."

_Ah._

Igor cut in before things got too awkward, his smile widening at Margaret's words. "This is indeed a special case. A guest has never returned after death, even if temporary." His piercing gaze intensified at Minato. "Before we discuss anything, would you like to renew your contract?"

_...How many of your guests have been temporarily dead?_

The paper materialized in front of him, his name scrawled at the bottom.

**I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.**

Once again, Igor answered before he could ask. "You could choose to live a relatively normal life, of course. However, as long as you take responsibility for the consequences, we will support you any way we can. I believe you are already aware of this."

_A normal life? Thinking about it… is strange. I don't think I would mind it… but I'm not sure if I can turn a blind eye on an "abnormality," especially if it could be dangerous. __Either way… I plan to accept the consequences of whatever I do. So there's no reason to not renew it, is there?_

Minato answered with a simple "yes," his expression remaining neutral, and Igor's grin managed to further widen. "Splendid." He paused for second. "The Velvet Room exists between the conscious and the subconscious… and as such, neither affects nor is affected by either."

_I don't exactly understand what you mean, but I'll take your word for it. As usual._

…_Wait, does this mean I could come here without the seal weakening? Is that what you're saying?_

Igor gave another nod once Minato eyes widened in realization, then handed him a recognizable silver key. "I trust you know what to do with it?" Minato nodded, and Margaret decided to speak up in a clear, powerful voice. "Considering that you made use of the power of the Universe, the Compendium and Fusions are not services we need to offer. Your personae are dormant within your sould, and should awaken as you get stronger and form more bonds."

Foreseeing his question about what service _would_ be offered instead, Margaret continued. "Considering that carrying your current weapons or money would arouse suspicion, we would be able to store them here. In addition, in exchange for a small fee, we would also be able to sell items that would be difficult to buy otherwise, such as cards, gems and other weapons." She paused for a second, a large stack of money appearing on her palm. "It seems to be Elizabeth's wish that the money that you spent on the Compendium be returned to you if you returned. As such, you currently have is $5000, accounting for how much she has already used."

_Wait, how much money did she use? I remember having almost 10 million yen. And what did she use it on anyway? _…B_ut still, $5000 is more than enough to draw attention if it was found on me._

"Well then, time marches on in your world, so I bid you farewell for now. Until we meet again; of course, the next time you meet us will be of your own volition." Minato heard Igor's words and gave a short nod.

And then he actually woke up in the same hospital bed.

_Now that I think about it… it does seem like Igor is being much less cryptic than I remember. Or maybe I'm just getting used to him._

He still felt oddly tired, but that was probably a side effect of having been dead for four years. He also felt _really_ hungry... also probably another side effect,

Noticing that he wasn't attached to any tubes, and that he was alone in his room, Minato decided to leave; he slipped out the bed and proceeded out of the door silently but quickly… only to bump into Scott, who didn't seem to budge at all. Instead, it was Minato who haphazardly stumbled back, earning him a quick apology from the boy he ran into. "Are you sure you should be up? You apparently slept like a log."

Minato replied with a small wave of his hand. "I'm fine, really. Just tired."

"Yeah, _really _tired. You were unconscious for a week, woke up for less than an hour, and went back to sleep for half a day." Minato couldn't help but notice the light suspicion in Scott's next words. "But nobody could find anything wrong with you. Everyone just said you were exhausted."

For a moment, concern clouded his mind and his heart thudded in his chest. "Well, isn't that strange? I don't exactly remember what happened."

_If I can't think of an excuse, I'll just have to claim ignorance._

In Minato's opinion, the entire exchange seemed to be a little fake. Scott knew a little more than he was letting on, and his words seem rehearsed. To be honest, so did Minato's. There was an awkward pause in the conversation as both of them avoided the other's gaze.

"Well, I'll get my mom or another nurse. You should stay here until then."

"…Right, I'll do that."

Scott made a move to leave, but suddenly paused. He looked at Minato with concern in his eyes, though the wild card couldn't tell to whom it was directed to.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking… why did you agree to stay with us? I don't have a problem with it, but, you must be used to moving around and stuff. So… what do you want to do here, exactly? D'you have any plans or something?"

_Good question. What do I want to do? After I "recover," which I've technically already done, where am I going to go? School, then college? A job? __I'm supposed to be dead. I can't go home anytime soon, so it really isn't a terrible idea to stay here._

He was reminded of his internal monologue in the Velvet Room, and his brows furrowed. Scott gave him time to deliberate, still looking at him with concentration. Minato decided to tell the truth, in a sense.

"I… don't know. It would be nice to finally have a normal life. You could say it's an opportunity I haven't had in a while. But… at the same time, I can't really complain about my life so far. I've done a lot, you know?" He paused, reflecting on what he just said. "Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense," he apologetically said.

"No, you totally _are_ making sense," he replied with a nod. You know, sometimes I feel the same way." This time, Scott's smile seemed genuine.

_Is that so? Is that related to how you're... not exactly human? Well, I can tell you're not a bad guy for some reason. And... I'll try not to pry unless I have to._

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...  
****Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Justice Arcana…**

_Justice represents the knowledge of what is right, and what is wrong._

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...**  
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Fool Arcana…

_The Fool represents the beginning and suggests infinite possibilities._

The first voice did not surprise him. The second did, but then he felt _something _that made him temporarily forget about the fact that a single person _seemed_ to have two Arcana. Deep in his mind, a familiar presence seemed to awakening. It was not concrete yet, so to speak, but he definitely felt it.

_Is that you, Orpheus? It seems like I haven't exactly lost my abilities. I don't know if that's foreboding or comforting. ...Anyway,__ I still need my evoker._

"Hey, are you alright?" Minato's head snapped up in attention at the voice, looking confusedly at Scott.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?"

Scott gave him a weird look. "Nothing, forget about it. I should probably get a nurse." A loud rumble from Minato's stomach caught his attention, as the Japanese boy looked sheepishly looked away. "And some food too," he said with a grin.

"Right," Minato agreed. "Thanks."

–

"So he's lying about his name, age and whether he's used his fake gun."

"Yeah."

"He's telling the truth about not being from around here–even though I could've figured that out without super werewolf senses–and he really doesn't have a place to stay."

"Yup."

"But you're _not sure _if he's telling the truth about remembering what happened. And you think he's hiding _something_ about his past, including his parent's deaths and basically everything else."

"Stiles, I just told you all of this. Why are you repeating it to me?"

"Just confirming." His voice took on an amused tune. "He's either good at hiding stuff or you're pretty terrible at finding stuff out."

Scott scrunched up his nose at the accusation. "Hey, I haven't had much practice. Derek could probably figure it out–"

Stiles' eyes widened at the mention of the alpha werewolf, and he gave Scott a questioning glance. "Are you sure you want to involve Derek? Either this is not supernatural and he won't care at all, or it is and he'll be a little too claw-happy. You do remember he killed Jackson for a few minutes–and tried to kill Lydia–a month ago, right?"

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Where _is _Derek, anyway? I haven't seen him since the kanima business." Scott answered the last question with a short shrug, before trying to address Stiles' points.

"Well, Jackson's still alive, and you were the one who first suggested killing him! Besides, if it's supernatural, Derek will involve himself anyway. And this is definitely supernatural, considering the woman who gave us the body."

"The yellow-eyed one who broke down your door? She's a werewolf?" Stiles questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Scott nodded in reply, but then shook it at the second question. "It was strange… I felt like I was smelling death, but that faded pretty quickly after I got home, so I couldn't tell who it was coming from."

Stiles' eyebrow rose even higher. "Smelling… _death_? Is this one of your werewolf powers again?"

Scott furrowed his brows. "I don't know how to explain it. It was like a corpse, but _deeper_."

"Yeah, you don't know how to explain it," Stiles agreed with a sigh. "I mean, you said the lady left right before you got there. So it must have been her, right? What about lying-about-his-name guy?"

The werewolf nodded. "Right now, Makoto smells like a normal human… but when I first got to him, he smelt like nothing. It was like he's never been anywhere before. I _did_ ask him about her, but he seemed to not be paying attention."

The questioning tilt of Stiles' head seemed to get more noticeable. "So he basically just appeared out of nowhere? Maybe he was resurrected or something… like Peter or Jackson." He gave a slightly exasperated look. "And if he wasn't paying attention the first time, you should've asked again."

Scott ignored the last comment, and instead frantically shook his head. "No, Peter smelled like a werewolf corpse when he was dead… and traces of that stayed for some time. But I didn't smell anything close to a corpse this time."

"Then how do you know it was death"–he put the word in air quotes–"that you smelt?" Stiles bit his lip for a moment. "Is it instinctual? Have you asked Deaton about it?"

Scott nodded, this time calmer. "Yeah, I did. He was one who gave me the idea to let him stay at our house. I'm not sure how much he knows, but he insisted that I didn't let Makoto leave. He also asked if I could convince him to work part-time at the clinic."

Stiles' expression shifted to one of incredulity. "And your mom agreed?"

Another nod. "Yeah, she said it would be easier to monitor him from nearby… and I think she's taken a liking to him."

Stiles rolled his eyes but otherwise spoke as usual, changing the subject. "Oh, and did you know today–" "Is the full moon? Yeah, don't worry. Nothing's happened for a _month_, so it's not like more werewolves will suddenly appear today."

"Dude, when people say that it just means something _is_ going to happen!"

–

As soon as Mitsuru Kirijo put her cellphone to her ear, she heard a panicking, familiar voice.

"It's him! I found him!" Fuuka Yamagishi's voice echoed in her ear. For a moment, Mitsuru's breath stopped. "I mean, I've detected a powerful persona user! It's exactly like the one he used – that aspect of Nyx!"

Her hand, clutching her cellphone tightly, trembled slightly at the name of the figure. "Yamagishi, please calm down. Where are you right now? And what happened?"

She heard the girl on the other end take a deep, quivering breath. "I'm at my dorm. I was doing some homework when I sensed an incredibly powerful persona user somewhere far away… even though I hadn't summoned Juno yet." There was a long, foreboding pause. "The persona that person had… it was _that_ one. One of _his _persona. I tried to figure out where it was, but it disappeared way too quickly."

_I see… it was powerful enough to catch Yamagishi's attention._

It was definitely strange, but nothing warranting _that_ reaction. "It must be that woman from the… Velvet Room, was it? Elizabeth? Aigis informed me she was wielding Thanatos during the Labrys incident." Mitsuru quickly realized what the problem was. "Her involvement was never recognized, since she only seemed to want to duel the wild cards and left as soon as that was done – before you assisted us. As such, official records have no mention of her." She could feel guilt welling up in her: she should have made them aware of everything.

_I see… you must have thought it was him, correct? Well, it's still strange that the woman would appear there all of a sudden._

"Oh… I see. For a moment, I thought it might be... never mind." The hesitation and disappointement in her voice was palpable; she seemed sheepish at her mild overreaction. "Anyway, the signal wasn't from Japan. It was probably from south-western part of the United States–or maybe even Mexico–though I wasn't able to pinpoint an exact location."

Mitsuru nodded, even though no one would see it. "I see. Unfortunately, we don't have enough people working there to research and investigate odd happenings right now. If there's a repetition of this incident, I'd like for you to tell me as soon as possible."

"Sure, it shouldn't be a problem at all! I was just caught by surprise, that's all. Could you ask Aigis to send me information about Elizabeth? It would make it easier. …I'll send it to the others too."

"Of course. Goodbye, Yamagishi."

"Bye!"

Mitsuru's thoughts started racing as soon as she pocketed her cellphone. It had been almost two years since Fuuka had joined the Shadow Operatives, but she was still technically not a full-time member. Of course, the same could be said for almost all of S.E.E.S, since they–except Koromaru, of course–had to juggle education as well as shadow-related incidents. Even then, all their abilities had improved thanks to occasional training, but they had very few chances to actually fight. An uneasy peace had settled, and the being that hijacked Labrys had not reappeared. It was unnerving.

She let out a sigh. There was little she could do now, to be honest. For some reason, there _had_ been a few trace shadows loitering about in the TV world. They never got out, and were rather weak; one member of the Inaba "investigation team" would occasionally enter the TV and exterminate them quickly. Technically, shadow activity _had_ been increasing, but at such a slow rate that she hadn't realized it until Amagi apparently had to use Maragi instead of Agi for the first time. Even the bear did not know why this was happening. Mitsuru had made it a point not to interfere in their work–at Shirogane's request–unless necessary, but they did have some mutual collaboration. And in this case, mutual confusion.

The only thing they could do now was wait.

––––––––––

This chapter is a little longer than the previous, but not too much.

There are a lot of characters, aren't they? Well, we don't have to worry about that for some time.

0. Fool (Scott McCall?): 1

III. Empress (Melissa McCall): 1

IV. Emperor (Sheriff Stilinski): 1

VIII. Justice (Scott McCall): 1


	3. Persona Invocation

"Are you sure you should leave already? Maybe staying here for the night would be better for you." Melissa's voice was laced with concern, and she fixed an anxious gaze at him.

Minato shook his head in reply. "I'm feeling better now, so I don't think a hospital stay is necessary. And Scott told me there was nothing wrong with me."

Melissa bit her lip for a moment, concentrating. She seemed disapproving at Scott mentioning Minato's condition to him. "Well, I'm pretty busy right now, so I can't come with you. Maybe you could ask Scott? I think he's still here."

Minato nodded at her. "Right, I'll do that." He made a move to leave, but she momentarily interrupted him.

"Don't stay up too late, okay? And _try_ not to go off exploring on your own." It seemed like a simple, concerned request, but there was something in there that Minato couldn't figure out.

_I don't know much about the town anyway, so I'd rather not get lost._

He nodded once more, and she gave a warm smile before heading back into the hospital.

**Thou art I… and I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Empress Arcana…**

From what he remembered about his own mother–which admittedly wasn't much–Melissa didn't seem too different.

It was... comfortable. As long as nothing terrible happened, he could get used to this.

–

Minato watched the young man offer him a bright smile. "Hey, Stiles here, I'm Scott's best friend. You're Makoto, right?" Minato simply replied with a nod and a polite "nice to meet you."

It was early in the evening, and Scott and Stiles had decided to take Minato to go get burgers: they _were_ pretty good, though they didn't have the _je ne sais quoi_ of Wild Duck's mystery ingredient. He had just finished "moving in"–not that he had much with him–after leaving the hospital. Scott was the one who gave a quick tour of their house.

Stiles always had something to say, and his talking led to a noticeable–and thankful–lack of awkward silences. Their interactions meshed comfortably.

_He reminds a little of Junpei, actually. ...Speaking of Junpei, I wonder how he's doing. No, I wonder what all of them are doing._

"You've probably already met my dad, the sheriff. Has he interrogated you yet?"

"Just as soon as I woke up." Minato's voice had a light tone to it, and Stiles grinned in reply before suddenly diverting the topic towards Minato. "He's good at his job, but right now he's obsessing over your little toy gun. What does S.E.E.S mean, anyway? Nobody at the station has any idea." He looked expectantly at the target of his question, nibbling on a fry.

Minato's eyes widened at the rather blunt question, and Scott was mouthing something at Stiles with an odd look on his face. Minato shrugged in reply, but he couldn't help but notice his own heart's rapid beating. "A friend gave it to me for protection," was the only information he offered.

It was a little strange how Stiles continued without bothering to judge his vague reaction, something Scott was clearly doing. "I mean, it looks really realistic for a fake gun – I'm not even sure if it's legal to carry it around, since it does make a really loud–and pretty realistic–noise. Well, it's not like it's dangerous or anything." He gave Minato another grin, and the wild card realized, for some reason, Stiles didn't seem as suspicious of him as he thought the sheriff's son would be.

_Maybe he's giving me the benefit of doubt… or maybe this is just how he is. Either he's good at hiding his suspicion, a naturally trusting person… or both._

"So... it's at your house?" Minato tried not to sound too hopeful, but Stiles seemed to pick up on the implications. "Why, can't feel safe without it?" It sounds like he was making a joke, but he couldn't tell for sure; Stiles didn't drop his smile when Minato raised an eyebrow at him.

_Stiles, I can't tell if this is your version of an interrogation or not… or if you're just curious._

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...**  
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Magician Arcana…

_The Magician represents action and initiative… but also immaturity._

Minato thought this was especially appropriate for Stiles, even if he had only known him for a rather short while.

Scott decided to change the subject. "So, this may seem random, but I wanted to ask you something. Do you want to work part-time in a veterinarian's clinic? I go there too, and you'll get to work with animals and–" Minato cut him off, replying with a quick "sure."

"Huh? Really?" It seemed that Scott thought convincing Minato would be a little more difficult. "Well, great! That was easy." Stiles gave him an amused glance and was about to say something, but instead raised his eyebrow when he noticed that something seemed to have caught Minato's attention – he had quickly looked away from both of them. Scott, on the other hand, was used to Minato getting distracted or lost in thought.

"Hey, is it the full moon tonight?" He was staring out of the window, up at the darkening sky. His face held a curious, dazed expression, but he still noticed that Scott stiffened at his random question.

Stiles was the one who answered. "Yup, why?"

_Just to be sure of something… I need to stay awake until midnight today. I didn't think it would come so quickly._

"Nothing, just making an observation," was the only explanation Minato offered.

_I've rarely gotten the chance to actually see the full moon in peace: before the promised day, we fought shadows or had some crisis come about; and after Nyx was sealed, I was just way too tired._

"Well, there are a few crazy people who like coming out when the moon is full, so you should probably stay inside." Scott was the one who said this–with an odd, strained intonation–and it was Stiles' turn to give his best friend a weird look.

_Is that what Melissa was talking about? ...Maybe I should investigate._

Minato's lips curved upwards. "Yeah, I've met a few people who went crazy close to the full moon as well. To be fair, it wasn't their fault… but it was unpleasant to look at." Scott agreed with a hesitant smile of his own, likely wondering what he was talking about.

They paid for the burgers–prompting Scott to give him a questioning look about his money–when Scott suddenly looked off in another direction, his eyes narrowing.

He looked at them for a moment. "I just remembered I have to do something at the clinic. I'll see you later." He abruptly started to jog off in a hurry, not waiting for a reply.

"Well, that was… abrupt?" Minato trailed off questioningly, giving Stiles a glance. He got a shrug in reply. "Don't know what's up with him. Anyway, I need to head home now. I'll see you later." And then he, almost just as abruptly as Scott, walked away.

_What was that all about? Is something going on right now?_

–

Melissa had gone to bed as soon as she got back – she seemed tired enough that she didn't bat an eye at Scott's absence.

It was almost midnight. Minato would have slept earlier, still a little tired, but he felt oddly restless.

_Japan doesn't have the same time zone as here, but still… I just need to do something. …It shouldn't be long now._

And then an unearthly, oppressive stillness settled on him. He knew this feeling.

_No._

A few moments later, he had quickly bought a basic sword from Margaret and barged into the other rooms of the house.

Scott wasn't there. And instead of Melissa's sleeping body, he saw a coffin.

_Damn it!_ _I thought we stopped all of this!_

Suffice to say, Minato was panicking. He was jumpy, his breath was accelerating, and his grip of his sword tightened painfully. Pausing momentarily, he tried to take a few deep breaths, and slowly exited the house.

_Okay, calm down. You've dealt with this before._

The first thing he was a black _blob_ of some mysterious substance. Two stretches of this unknown material extended grotesquely in the form of claws, and two blank, pure white eyes marred its bulbous form.

…_a Shadow? Here?!_

As soon as it detected him, it a mask suddenly appeared over its eyes in a mocking imitation of a human face.

_Just a Maya, and it doesn't seem to be a strong one. This shouldn't take too long._

It slowly, pitifully crawled towards him, but a quick vertical slice dispatched it before it could do anything. Quickly pocketing the minor arcana that materialized in his hand, Minato continued onward. The Shadow seemed to have been alone… in fact, there were no sentient beings anywhere. A few street lamps seemed to flicker, each emitting a green glow, but Minato attributed that to the moon. He still didn't know much about the town, so he just wandered aimlessly–almost like patrolling. Still silence as far as he could detect; even Shadows were absent. He lost track of the time, to be honest, the stillness stretching minutes into hours.

_The Dark Hour might almost be over soon._ _Hopefully nothing terrible will happen by then._

His unwarranted optimism was immediately cut short when he heard the sound of running. He looked up, narrowing his eyes. It was Stiles. And two Maya were following him.

Minato sped up as soon as he saw the shadows trailing after the boy, sword in hand.

_Wait, why aren't you a coffin? Do you have the potential?_

The latter quickly moved out the way and stared amazedly as Minato cleaved through the first's mask with a single horizontal swipe. The second _thing_ haphazardly clawed at him, but a short sidestep was all that was necessary before a quick jab pierced its grotesque mask. He turned to Stiles as soon as the shadow dissolved into that familiar black mist, but he was confronted before he got a word in.

"You're not a coffin. Why aren't you a coffin?" The panicked boy's eyes were widened and his head was tilted.

"Neither are you," Minato pointed out. "Is anybody else normal right now?"

Stiles shook his head. "No, as far as I can tell everyone's like that." He gave a drawn-out sigh while rubbing the back of his head. "Crap, where's the hell is Scott?" he muttered to himself. He then paused, conspicuously blinked and turned to Minato. "So, why don't you tell me what's going on? What _were_ those things?" He stared up at the green hue of the moon and sky for a moment and gestured wildly. "And what's all of _this_?"

"Those monsters… they're called Shadows." Minato mouth was stretched in a thin line. "I'm not sure what they're doing here, to be honest."

Stiles looked at him, and then suddenly he seemed to be looking behind him, his eyes widening. Minato tuned around, seeing a woman– with _blood-red_ eyes–smirk arrogantly at him. "Shadows, huh? Well, you learn something new everyday," she said in amused voice.

_Where did she come from?_

Minato warily raised his sword at her, asking her who she was.

_This feeling… it reminds of Scott. Are they the same... species?_

Another smirk was her reply as she slowly walked towards him. "Kali. Make sure you remember it." And then she suddenly leapt at him, with a speed greater than any human. He quickly dived under her charge and swiped at her, but she immediately landed on her hands and _flipped_ out of the way, her feet somehow knocking his sword a few feet behind him.

_Kali. She's a Hindu goddess–if I recall correctly–and also the name of one of my better personae._ _Sometimes depicted as powerful and destructive. How appropriate._

She landed in a crouch, and grinned up at him.

_I don't think normal people have teeth that sharp._

He saw the claws on her hand and feet for only a second before he ran back to pick up his sword. She didn't make a move to stop him, but she was clearly watching intently. Stiles, seemingly being ignored, was slowly edging away.

"Not bad. This might be more fun than I thought." Her voice had an odd, amused tone to it, as if she was excited over the prospects of battle.

_You're like an extreme version of Akihiko-senpai._

Now that he got a good look at her, he realized many people would probably see her as attractive if she wasn't trying to murder them.

"Stiles." His voice was sharp and commanding, a remnant of his days as a leader of S.E.E.S. "Go back to your house and get _my_ gun as quickly as possible. Please." The target of his request, already noticing that the female wasn't paying any attention to him, quickly nodded and ran off.

She smirked again–this expression of hers was quickly getting annoying. "You'll be dead by the time he comes back."

"But you're still not going to kill him, I assume." Tactically, it would make sense to take Stiles down first: he was unarmed, had no combat skills Minato knew of, and was already tired from running from the Shadows. Forcing Minato to protect him would also make the former reckless. But she was focusing only on him. Minato was her target. "He's actually... involved, so I'm not the one who has to kill him. But _you_ were lucky enough to be awake during our little spell... so I'm going to have to kill you and enjoy it." Her tone was simple, as if it was perfectly obvious to her.

He paled as he realized the implications of her words. "You're responsible for the Dark Hour?"

"Oh, is that what it's called? My, you're quite a good source of information. Maybe I should take you back and torture you until you spill everything." Again, she said it casually, as if torture was an everyday occurrence to her.

_I'm not sure if I can fight her with just a sword; she's definitely experienced. C'mon, Stiles. I can only distract her by talking for so long._

"Now, I'm bored of talking. Time for me to kill you." And then she ran at him, claws extending even further. Her first scratch was easily ducked, and Minato's countering stab was just as easily sidestepped. But then he decided to swing his sword from its outstretched position and clashed with her claws–which she brought up to defend herself–for a moment. Both of them tried to overpower the other, but Kali was winning with her superior strength; seeing this, Minato quickly hopped away from her. Both combatants circled each other hesitantly and then–as usual–Kali charged first. This time, she didn't give enough time for Minato to properly defend himself.

_Has she gotten faster? Is she just playing with me?_

Claw after claw came after him, and he felt the grip on his sword loosen even further. He was blocking as fast as he could, but her attacks were relentless. At this rate, there was no chance of him being on the offensive. And then suddenly she performed a quick sweep with her leg; in hindsight, it was obvious that she was only making him focus on blocking the claws on her hands. Minato tried to move back, but a claw caught his ankle, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain. It was all Kali needed. She sank a harsh, driven fist into Minato's gut, the boy sinking to ground clutching his injured foot and stomach as he violently coughed.

_Damn… if she had used her claws instead of a punch…_

Her laughter was as harsh as her fists, but she suddenly turned back as they heard the squealing of tires.

_Wait, how are any vehicles working? This isn't the Dark Hour I remember. Then, that must mean the streetlights weren't an illusion…?_

He decided to take advantage of Kali's momentary distraction, grabbing his sword and carving a deep slice at her own feet. Blood trickled down slowly, and she gave a short snarl at her wound.

_Payback._

And as he saw an old, worn-down jeep rush at them, he rolled out of the way, wincing in pain as he did so. He stared down at his ankle: the scratch wasn't too deep, leaking blood, but it might be a mild pain to walk without healing. Kali, fortunately, didn't have the time to do the same as him and the jeep slammed into her. She _flew_ a few feet away, but it was clear from her _growl_ she wasn't out of the fight yet. She shakily got up to her feet, and Minato could see her calves healing, the blood stopping its flow quickly.

Stiles–and another blond girl with a panicked expression–quickly got out of the car, the boy tossing a familiar gun-like object to him.

He turned to face Kali as soon as he had the Evoker in his hands, figuring that the blonde wasn't an enemy. His actual opponent got to her feet, cracking her knuckles and waiting in anticipation.

_It's time. Get ready._

It was all very habitual to him, and he performed the motions like a familiar ritual.

The Evoker was spinning around his finger as he brought up.

Gasps of surprise echoed as the Evoker rested against his head, and Kali's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He felt the familiar cold barrel against the side of his head, and his heartbeat echoed in his skull.

As he pressed the trigger after whispering "Persona," he heard a familiar shatter.

**Thou art I…**

The figure that materialized was familiar to him, but the expressions of the others ranged from mild surprise to complete bafflement.

**And I am thou…**

Orpheus was clearly humanoid, but his pitch-black body, pure white hair and crimson red eyes were clear indications of his true nature.

**From the sea of thy soul, I cometh…**

There was a speaker embedded to his stomach, and large, silver harp attached to his back. In fact, it was clear that except for his head, his entire body was mechanical.

**I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.**

Kali didn't have time to react as Orpheus suddenly flew at her, swinging his harp like a bludgeon. It hit her with a surprising amount of force, and she was knocked back a few feet. By the time she got on her own feet, Orpheus strummed his harp, and a ball of fire–whose heat reached everyone present–suddenly shot out from in front of Orpheus and crashed into her. The flames quickly faded, but the burn marks were clearly noticeable. Kali was no longer smirking. Instead, her face was stretched into a feral, inhuman scowl. Her claws–and fangs–were elongating, and the very structure of her body seemed to change.

_She's… transforming?!_

He heard Stiles loudly swear behind him.

…_Oh. They saw everything._

But then suddenly Kali stopped her transformation and looked up at the sky. There was no green hue and the oppressive feeling had already disappeared – the Dark Hour was over. She then turned her head to him, giving him a sharp glare. "We're out of time, so we'll continue this later. You're fighting's interesting… I'll make sure I'm the one who gets to kill you." And then she suddenly ran off–on _all fours_–in the direction of the forest.

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...**  
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Strength Arcana…

_Strength represents both passion and self-control, power within reason._

Needless to say, the voice came as an extreme surprise to him.

_Seriously? With her? This can't be happening._

Orpheus was still floating after the Dark Hour has passed, but only a little concentration was needed to dismiss him. He couldn't think about the Social Link right now.

He quickly turned to Stiles after sheathing his blade, hiding his panic and confusion as best as he could. "Who – no, _what_ was she?" Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times, and tried to stutter out an answer. It was obvious he knew the truth.

The blonde standing next to him interrupts with a single word. "Werewolf." She offered a short glare at Stiles' panicked expression. "I speak from experience; it's better if he knows as soon as he's involved." There's a slight, almost intangible hint of bitterness in her words, but it seemed to quickly dissipate at Stiles' apologetic look.

The blonde introduced herself with a deceptively bright smile, considering what just happened, and with just a hint of superiority. "Lydia Martin. You're Makoto, right?" Minato just nods in reply, and she smiled wider. "Well then, why don't you tell us what you know?" This time, Minato hesitated, but he still decided to nod. Almost immediately, he heard the familiar–yet mysterious–voice.

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...**  
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Sun Arcana…

_The Sun represents a bright future and true achievement._

Stiles offered his words of wisdom first. "Well, first of all, that was both _awesome_ and terrifying at the same time. Second, can _anyone _do that thing? You know, pretending to shoot yourself in the head to call an ancient Greek musician that can shoot fire?" His expression was hopeful. "And they're no side effects, right?"

_It's a valid question, to be honest... do either of you have Personas?_

Minato shrugged, deciding on asking about the _werewolves_ later, and offered him the Evoker. "It's different for different people. Do you want to try and see now? …You already know what to do with it, right?" Stiles seemed surprised that Minato agreed so easily, and let out a grateful sigh.

**Thou art I… and I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Magician Arcana…**

…_I see._

"The Shadows will attack you no matter what, as long as you can operate in the Dark Hour–the time period you just experienced. You need to be able to defend yourself." His voice was objective and clear, a strong indication to both Stiles and Lydia that Minato had been dealing with this phenomenon for quite some time.

The boy in question looked at Lydia expectantly as well, but she just raised an eyebrow at the both of them with a disbelieving expression. "I'm pretty sure your borderline-suicidal gesture tells us something about the psyche of people who can use it. So, statistically speaking, it's unlikely we can do this." For a moment, Stiles' expression turned into one of adoration.

Minato shook his head in reply. "Not many people can use an Evoker… but it can't hurt to try. If you don't have the ability, the worst you'll get is a loud noise."

Stiles nodded and hesitantly took the Evoker. He pressed the device to side of his head, emulating Minato. His finger was twitching against the trigger, and his hands were trembling. One pull of the trigger was all that would be needed, but Minato suddenly grabbed his hand. "You should start off in the Dark Hour, as practice. Too much stress on your mind will probably knock you out when you summon your Persona."

Both Stiles and Lydia noticed the information he offered, and both them looked like they were going to say something.

A growling, panicked voice cut them off. "Lydia!"

Minato turned sharply, about to unsheathe his sword, but Lydia gestured for him to stop, a smile on her face. Stiles, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes. "Great, Jackson's here. Took him long enough."

_Okay, his name's Jackson. Got it._

"Stiles! Makoto!" That was Scott's voice, and more people seemed to be suddenly appearing from nowhere. Stiles perked up at his presence more than he did at Jackson's. "Scott! Where have you _been_?! And why did you get here only when everything's over?!"

_This forest is such a security risk. I have no idea how they're suddenly coming so quickly… wait, who're they?_

Two more people were following Jackson and Scott, but they seemed be less concerned with their well-being.

He recognized the similar _feel_ of the other's–Jackson, Scott, and the other two–subconscious.

"You're all werewolves too," was Minato's simple statement.

_In hindsight, maybe I should have phrased that more delicately._

––––––––––

The chapter was actually going to be split into two, but I decided to combine them since they were each shorter than I wanted them to be. It does make it a bit long, I guess.

I know that the Season 3 characters in Teen Wolf haven't been officially introduced, so their personalities and backgrounds here are probably not going to be the same as their canon ones.

About the alias: Makoto Yuki is his name in the upcoming movie (which I can't wait for!), so I decided to use it here. It's apparently a unisex name.

0. Fool (Scott McCall?): 1

I. Magician ("Stiles" Stilinski): 2

III. Empress (Melissa McCall): 2

IV. Emperor (Sheriff Stilinski): 1

VIII. Justice (Scott McCall): 1

XI. Strength (Kali): 1

XIX. Sun (Lydia Martin): 1


	4. True Story

Even though the Dark Hour had ended, the air was oppressively tense; suspicion and confusion lingered and pervaded the air. All of them were standing in a haphazard circle and each had a wary look in their eyes. No one wanted to be the first to speak, the night's events having been strange to all of them. Minato had given a brief explanation of the Shadows and the Dark Hour, and in return was "introduced" to Derek, Isaac and Jackson. The latter two gave relatively normal greetings–even if Jackson seemed a _little_ arrogant–but Derek had just lightly grunted and glowered suspiciously.

_It's… a little hard to believe that werewolves exist. And yet, I'm seeing them first-hand._

"So… who _was _the crazy werewolf lady that attacked us?" Stiles finally decided to question, quickly looking from person to person. "I think her name was Kali?" It was clear that he couldn't stand the silence.

There was bristling recognition by all the werewolves at the mention of her name, but Derek was the first one to speak. "She's a member of the Alpha pack we've been tracking… one of the stronger ones." At Stiles' extremely panicked look, he gave a short sigh. "Yes, an entire pack of Alphas. They're enemies, and they're dangerous."

Minato nodded in agreement. "She managed to cut me, even when holding–" He was interrupted by more stares of panic. "It was a shallow claw wound. From what you've told me, I won't turn." Some members of their little group gave relieved sighs.

Derek turned his skeptical gaze at him. "_You_… fought her?" At Minato's nod, Stiles decided now was the time to further question him about his abilities. "Hey why don't you show them what you did?" His eyes had a strange, sharp glint in them.

Minato hesitated but nodded, fingered the trigger of the Evoker. "Before I do anything, please don't panic about what–" "Dude, saying that will just give them more reason to panic." He stared at Stiles–the one who just interrupted him–for a moment, then sighed in admission and continued.

Quickly lifting his Evoker, he tried hard not to pay attention to everyone's reactions–at least Stiles and Lydia would expect it–and pressed it against his head.

_I've already made a few Social Links… maybe I can summon another Persona._

He searched his mind and pulled the trigger. "Pixie!"

The red-haired creature immediately materialized–which resulted in Lydia raising an eyebrow in bafflement and Stiles giving a small snort–and gestured. Almost immediately, he felt a warm light engulf his body, the Dia spell mending the damage instantaneously. As soon as her job was done, Pixie disappeared with a wave. Minato looked at the others' reactions and rolled his eyes. "It's one of my Persona. A facet of my psyche."

"That's not the one we saw before," Stiles pointed out. "And when you say a fairy is a facet of your psyche–"

"…Each Persona has different abilities." Minato interrupted, using one hand to massage his temple. He had decided long ago not to think about what his stranger Personas implied. "Therefore, I don't always need to summon the same one."

"So, how many do you have?" Lydia asked, a haughty yet interested lilt to her voice.

"Right now… not many," he answered, searching his mind. "Around… three? I should be able to get more as time goes by."

_Orpheus, Pixie and… Apsaras? The first three I had… fitting._

Minato gave a hard stare at Derek before anyone could question him further, and his voice took a serious turn. "Is the Alpha pack responsible for the Dark Hour?"

Derek narrowed his eyes even further, but decided to answer the question. "Probably," he grunted out.

–

_Damn, she's way too fast!_

Scott had detected the Alpha a few _hours_ ago, but she was still leading him–and the others, who had also detected her–around in circles. It wasn't _beginning_ to get tiring – it was way too late for that. He had gotten exhausted some time ago, and the crunching of the leaves and buffeting of the wind were quickly getting annoying. ...At least it wasn't like his asthma could act up.

Isaac had suggested they split up to corner her, but they still didn't have any luck. At the same time, her scent was distinctive, so none of them could have lost her trail; in fact, without it they would have effectively been roaming blindly in the forest. As Scott ran, he could feel her trail becoming even stronger. It seemed like she was rapidly slowing down, hopefully because of tiredness; he wasn't sure if he could take an Alpha on his own, especially one that might be more experienced than Peter. On all fours, he barged into a small clearing; at the same time, he saw Derek, Isaac and Jackson burst in at the same time, gasping. They all formed a half–circle around her.

_She stopped? Was her plan to lead us all here?_

The female Alpha grinned, fangs glinting in the moonlight. "Good, good. It's almost midnight. Sorry for keeping you all for so long; you must be tired." She slowly licked her lips, her voice suddenly lowering as she continued. "Why don't you all get some rest?"

_But... you don't like tired at all._

"Who are you?" Derek growled out, still slightly panting. His stance was tense, ready to pounce at any moment.

Her grin grew wider. "Kali," she answered, her head tilting. "And you must be the pathetic Alpha who couldn't even keep most of the Betas he turned," she sneered. Derek gave another fierce growl, but she just laughed at his threat and continued. "Well, it's not like I'm complaining. Those two… they were pretty fun, but it's too bad you didn't train them very well." Derek bristled, his eyes clouding with worry for only a moment.

_Who is she talking– wait, Erica and Boyd?! I know I haven't seen them around lately, but…_

Kali continued to speak, ignoring his reaction. "I could take care of all of you at the same time _if_ I wanted to… but right now it'll be more fun to hit a more vulnerable spot, don't you think?" She suddenly turned and bolted backwards – towards the town. Scott's eyes widened as soon as he realized what she was after. All of them made a move to stop her, to try and do _something_, but she simply… disappeared. For a few baffling moments, all of them just stared at the spot she used to be. Then Scott took a long sniff and found a few more scents that existed where they shouldn't have. Jackson detected Lydia first, immediately running at full speed despite his fatigue. Everyone else followed, but the alpha was long gone by the time they got there – they expected to find corpses in her wake. Instead, they found Makoto holding a slightly bloodied sword, a tired Stiles, his dented jeep, and Lydia.

–

_She experienced it, but they didn't? That's strange… now I have to test a few more things the next time this happens._

"As I thought… she knew about the Dark Hour," Minato started, resolve narrowing his eyes. "Alright. I'll help you take care of them." At everyone's surprised look, he elaborated. "I can't let the Dark Hour continue. If the Alpha pack's your enemy, and they're causing the Dark Hour, then I'll help you take care of them." The grip on his Evoker tightened; if they didn't agree to his proposal, things would become a lot more difficult. After a few tense moments, Derek gave a small grunt – Minato took it as one of approval, and soon heard a familiar voice.

******Thou art I... and I art thou...  
Thou hast established a new bond...  
****Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Moon Arcana…********  
**

_The Moon represents illusion and mystery, fantasy and fear._

"Psychological warfare," Stiles explained, piecing together both perspectives. "She wanted to make you feel powerless by, uh, killing us?" he said, his voice becoming quieter and quieter. "It _might've_ worked too, but Makoto was here and she got distracted. Not that I'm complaining, since if she decided to ignore–" He saw Derek's scowl getting fiercer. "Okay, fine, shutting up now. It's not my fault I get a _little _panicky when things like this happen."

"She said she wasn't the person who was going to kill you," Minato offered. "So… she probably wanted to just hurt, kidnap, torture or turn you."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Thanks, that's _so_ much better." She turned to Jackson for a moment. "You'll help too." Her boyfriend seemed to want to protest, but he just closed his eyes and shook his head in defeat.

"They have Erica and Boyd," Isaac suddenly blurted out in a slightly pleading tone, confirming Scott's suspicions; this was just another incentive to help Derek. "And we can't beat a pack of alphas on our own." His confession earned him a snarl from his Alpha, but nothing more: it seems that even Derek realized they were greatly outmatched.

"And they're gonna still try to get Lydia and me… and Makoto," Stiles pointed out. "So it's probably for the best if we can, you know, work together?"

"Fine," Jackson ground out, Lydia giving him a smile. With Scott's nod following, it seemed like a tentative alliance was being. As Minato expected, a faint voice echoed in his head.

**Thou art I… and I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Fool Arcana…**

…_It's starting, isn't it?_

–

"Have any of you fought an alpha before?" asked Minato. He and Scott were right inside the latter's house, their "meeting" being concluded. Scott was lounging on one of the sofas, but Minato was standing awkwardly nearby, staring at the clock. As he had thought, the effect of this _Dark Hour _was weaker: just like the car, the clock had been working too. Someone would have to move it back an hour every night.

Melissa was still asleep in the same position, no longer a coffin with the expiration of the Dark Hour. She apparently knew about the werewolves, but as long as she remained a coffin, she didn't need to know about the Dark Hour. Stiles had gone back to his house with Evoker, thinking of a way to explain his jeep; Jackson escorted Lydia to her house, and Derek and Isaac left to… wherever they were staying.

"Yeah," Scott admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "It was hard enough with five of us, a pack of them will almost be impossible."

"Did you defeat it? If so, we can try to isolate each of them and…" Minato trailed off, but his implications were clear to Scott, who thought Minato was being way too casual about this. Packs were supposed to work together, so it shouldn't be easy… but Kali didn't seem to need help. "It shouldn't be a problem if we all can work together," Minato continued.

"It's… not that simple." Scott paused for a second, trying to figure out what to say. "We... generally weren't always on the same side. I mean, we deal with things differently." The explanation was a simplification, of course, but it would work.

The only contact he had with Allison was at school, and Isaac was usually hostile to her when she was nearby – not _too_ surprising, considering that she was a little knife-happy with him. Needless to say, Derek didn't trust her or her father; Scott didn't even try to suggest including her against the Alphas, since Derek would never agree to it. And because she wasn't–and _shouldn't_ be–in the hunter business anymore.

Peter was his own problem: almost all of them, especially Lydia, held some animosity towards him. Thankfully, he stayed away from them – he was officially recorded as "missing," so he couldn't go wherever he wanted. As far as Scott knew, he was holed up in the burnt remains of his house.

Minato was furrowing his eyes and biting his lip in concentration, analyzing the information that had quickly piled in the last hour. His gaze moving from the ticking clock to the floor, it looked like he found his shoes particularly interesting.

_Then… why would Derek let me help? Come to think of it, everyone accepted my explanation pretty readily. That wouldn't make sense, unless…_

"Hey, can werewolves figure out if someone's lying? By… detecting their pulse or something?"

For a moment, Scott froze with a wide-eyed expression on his face. Then he gave a sigh and admitted the truth: "Yeah, we listen to heartbeats." Minato didn't reply, still processing the implications, so Scott continued. "Well, now you know I know you were lying, so maybe… you'll tell the truth?"

_Hah… how perceptive._

"I'm sorry, but… there's a reason I haven't been honest. If certain people found out…" Minato wasn't the usually the one who was asked to "tell the truth."

_Sentience itself could end… and to be honest, the details I have are unclear enough that I can't take any risks._

"Listen, I'm not gonna try to find out more about you if you don't want me to." The "unless it's necessary" was unsaid but implicit. "So, uh, I'm pretty sure there's something you can say."

There were a few tense seconds of silence before Minato decided to speak. "My real name is Minato Arisato. I'm seventeen, and I've finished my sophomore year. I'm from Japan. And… I don't know what I'm doing here."

"And the woman who brought you here?" Scott asked. "She wasn't human, was she?"

"No," Minato admitted. He realized that a werewolf not noticing the former attendant would be unlikely. "Elizabeth's… a friend, but I'm not exactly sure what she is. She's the one that brought me here." He paused for a second, trying to think of way to assuage his concerns. "Neither Elizabeth nor I are your enemies. You can trust us."

Scott got up with a yawn, hearing no change in Minato's heartbeat or expression. "Yeah, I do. Thanks."

Minato barely registered the voice that soon emanated; it had become background noise by now.

**Thou art I… and I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Justice Arcana…**

Minato looked at the clock once again, and decided it was time to sleep. "…It's time for me to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Scott nodded. "But… I'm going to have to tell the others about you, all right? I don't think any of them will care too much, but Stiles might try to do some research–" Minato dismissed his concern with a wave of his hands. How much _they_ knew wasn't a problem, as long as S.E.E.S didn't find out. As he walked up the stairs, he saw Scott pull out his phone, probably to inform the others.

_Knowing Mitsuru, there won't be too much "important" information for anyone to find._

Subconsciously, he didn't feel danger from any of them. And yet… another repetition of what happened with Ikutsuki would be terrible. He had trusted the traitor as well, and they had paid for it with the life of Mitsuru's father. Even if he felt he could trust this group of werewolves and humans, not being cautious would just be stupid. Right now, he was the only one with a persona, making him the only one who could fight Shadows. He knew a lot more about the Dark Hour than before. This time, he wouldn't just blindly do what he was told. This time, he wouldn't let others die in front of him.

He looked at the cards he obtained from the Shadows and concentrated: a Coin, and Angel. After a few moments, they disappeared. A hundred dollars appeared in his hands, and he could feel the presence of an additional Persona.

As he shut the door to his "room," he looked around. Except for the sleeping bag on the floor, it was oddly bare – Minato didn't know how it was being used before he came here. Giving a long sigh before he finally went to sleep, he decided to buy a few things tomorrow. A calendar, some clothes that would fit him, books… the usual. But most importantly…

_I really need an MP3 Player. And some headphones._

––––––––––

0. Fool (Pack): 2

I. Magician ("Stiles" Stilinski): 2

III. Empress (Melissa McCall): 2

IV. Emperor (Sheriff Stilinski): 1

VIII. Justice (Scott McCall): 2

XI. Strength (Kali): 1

XVIII. Moon (Derek Hale): 1

XIX. Sun (Lydia Martin): 1

I'll probably make notes about updates/progress on my profile instead of at the end of the chapter – so be sure to occasionally check!


	5. Deduction

The Shadows in the T.V. World weren't too strong at all; a few quick slices and a Magaru were all Yosuke needed to dissipate them. They didn't even have the chance to attack, his speed being disorienting and almost blinding. The contrast between the Shadows and the landscape of the T.V World was no longer unsettling to him. To be honest, it was rather _boring_. Gone were the days of them being heroes, defeating the Shadows now just seemed like a regular job. He'd still do it, of course, but the adrenaline that had coursed through his body when he had fought the other's Shadows and a _God_ was conspicuously absent.

Most of the time, he or Teddie had to complete this task, since they spent the most time at Junes. Speaking of the stuffed bear, he no longer lived with Yosuke, but would still drop by at the beginning of his shift – some of his fans would try to locate his residence to no avail. His bear costume, thanks to its popularity, had become the official mascot of Junes, and almost every Junes store in Japan had a Teddie impersonator.

Yukiko was still training to be the next manager at the Inn and despite being rather young for it, she was already popular and efficient. Chie was still determined to become a police officer, but decided to finish college first. Kanji was working at his mother's shop, which had become extremely popular with children; business was booming. All of them were still in Inaba, studying in a university that opened up nearby. The town had grown quite larger, but there still that quaintness to it that felt familiar and comfortable.

Rise had returned to showbiz, and Risette had become a major celebrity once again, occasionally going on tours even outside Japan. Naoto wasn't with them as well, since she spent quite some time travelling, solving cases and working with the police. As far as Yosuke knew, she was currently in America and _something_ of a minor celebrity. Rumors were rapidly circulating that famous Detective Prince was actually a "girl," since she retained her usual attire for recognition and tradition. Yu was in Tokyo, and while he came to Inaba only around twice a year, he regularly kept in contact with every one of them. They had tried to keep the reemergence of the Shadows a secret from him, but _that_ hadn't worked; at the same time, there was little he could do unless he was in Inaba.

And finally, the latest addition to their group: Labrys. She _had_ said she wouldn't go to school until her kidnapper was found and brought to justice. However, after more than a year of no leads, school didn't seem that risky of an option. She had decided to come back to Yasogami High as a junior, actually managed to become class president, and would be graduating soon.

Compared to what they had experienced, it was normal but not unwelcome. I guess some would say they grew a little complacent.

–

"To be honest, I question why the American government would call a Japanese detective for this investigation." Of course, the investigator with short blue hair and a calm expression had _hypotheses_; she just felt that the agent standing in front of her could easily confirm them. The two of them were the only occupants of a white-walled, borderline-sterile conference room.

The agent cleared his throat and adjusted his tinted glasses. "Ms. Shirogane, you've been recommended by the Japanese government themselves. It has come to our attention that you solves cases… of a stranger nature." Naoto gave a wry smile in reply, but stayed silent. It wasn't too much of a stretch that other governments would be aware of the Shadows. In fact, considered their "special" nature, it might have been possible that the Japanese and American governments cooperated on the issue.

The agent continued to speak. "We believe there is already an organization similar to your Shadow Operatives in the United States, though in this case they don't seem to be working with the government. We'd like you to investigate them and if necessary, assist or obstruct them." Naoto raised her head, her eyes narrowing imperceptibly. Her investigation of the Shadow Operatives and the Kirijo group had turned up a few unsavory details, but legal action couldn't be taken due to the death of the perpetrators. The government more-or-less trusted the Group under Mitsuru Kirijo's leadership.

The agent handed her a stack of papers, bounded by a neat folder. "This organization has been tracking… _something_ over the most of the United States. We're not sure what, but that's where you come in." Her eyes quickly scanned through the files. A map indicated that this "something" was currently in Beacon Hills, California. Mysterious murders played off as animal attacks, yet occurring in a specific pattern. An entire police station slaughtered by an edged-weapon, but the supposed perpetrator, who had a gun and was only in high school, was found drowned some time later. Reports of people seeing "monsters." Someone declared dead being seen a day later without any problems.

These weren't necessarily related to Shadows, but it was strange nonetheless. In any case, she was a detective: cases like these were why she was so sought after. She finally gave a short nod of her head. "I'll look into it… after I've finished with my current case." It seemed that someone had heard about the Inaba murders and tried to copy them, murdering people and hanging them from telephone wires; it was the reason Naoto came to the United States. However, it seemed to be only a copycat crime: it would take only a few days for her to find the killer.

The agent gave a nod of his own. "Of course. We'll arrange all necessary transportation, but this matter is strictly confidential. No one can know about this until further notice, or when you deem it to be an absolutely necessary action." He then cleared his throat and briskly walked out of the room. A few moments later, Naoto Shirogane did the same.

–

The police found the first dead body, in a pool of its own blood, the next afternoon. Employed as a doctor in the Beacon Hills hospital, he was found with his feet cut off and deep stab wound in his gut; he died of blood loss sometime in the morning.

"So… you don't know anything about the Dark Hour?" Scott's voice was a combination of skepticism and disappointment. He, Minato, Stiles and Isaac–who also worked there, apparently–met right outside the veterinarian's office. Scott and Stiles had been talking about everyday things until then–Isaac occasionally joining in–but Minato had opted to remain silent, trailing behind the others, his headphones firmly attached.

There was still the question of how the Dark Hour was recreated by the alpha pack – the last time it had occurred, Shadow-related experiments had gone very wrong.

His boss–now technically Minato's boss too–slightly furrowed his brows. His confusion was understandable, really. Minato hadn't experienced the Dark Hour before arriving at Iwatodai, so normal people in another _country_ should know nothing about it. Of course, once it happened the first time they would experience it wherever they went, but that catalyst was still necessary. If you include Fuuka's search abilities and the behavior of the Shadows in the equation, the chance of anybody other than S.E.E.S and the Kirijo Group secretly knowing about the Dark Hour on their own was almost impossible. And Dr. Deaton didn't seem to have been employed by Mitsuru, her father, or her grandfather, as far as Minato knew. So he _shouldn't _have known anything.

But when Deaton replied with a calm "Well, I wouldn't say _that_," all this reasoning shattered. "In order for magic to work, users must believe that the spell will work as intended."

This explanation prompted Stiles expression to brighten as he turned to Scott. "So I did_ magic_ then? I mean, now that I think about it, it makes sense, but still! It's freakin' cool!" He paused for a second, then vocalized his conclusion. "Wait, that must mean they knew about the Dark Hour, right? If they didn't know what would happen, they couldn't have believed it would happen."

Deaton nodded. "It seems that someone told them about it… or they found out about it. I've never experienced this type of phenomenon before, but I _have_ heard mentions of it." He gave Minato a meaningful look, and elaborated. "Quite a few tourists from Japan have talked about people being saved from black monsters by a group of children. Normally, that wouldn't be anything abnormal, but it does match certain police reports." He didn't need to say anymore. They _had_ saved a few people in Tartarus; it was obvious that at least one of their voices would reach prying ears, would generate rumors. Especially since the Kirijo Group was very well known. Scott's eyes shifted to Minato, but the latter stayed neutral. He _had_ said he was from Japan, and that he knew about the Dark Hour. This information shouldn't be too surprising.

The veterinarian's gaze, now fixed on him as well, indicated that he knew more than this. It seemed like he wasn't suspicious of Minato, that he would allow him to have his own secrets. He felt grateful to his new boss. They were similar in at least one way: they had their secrets, but it was clear that the veterinarian was more experienced at keeping them.

**Thou art I… and I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Hierophant Arcana.**

_The Hierophant represents formality and knowledge, authority and experience._

"Now, I should be doing my job. I expect to see the three of you tomorrow." After a few confirmations, Deaton entered his office.

Stiles turned to Minato; he looked like he was about to say something, then muttered something and looked at Scott and Isaac expectantly. "Well, did the alpha pack kill the guy, or was it just your everyday homicidal psychopath?" His voice was humorous, but it also betrayed some amount of panic.

Isaac gave a defeated shrug. "No idea. It didn't smell like a werewolf at all, but…" He trailed off. All of them knew the doctor's body just had worse versions of Minato's own wounds. It seemed like a message from the alpha pack, but there was no actual evidence. Scott paled as he realized the obvious implications: if they couldn't detect the alpha pack, then they didn't know who was in it. It was another advantage they had.

They stayed in an uncomfortable silence, unsure of how to proceed – Stiles occasionally started changing the subject, but Scott was the only one who responded normally to that. Isaac had told them there were no leads on the whereabouts of the alpha pack: still a welcome change to Scott, since the beta was uncharacteristically tight-lipped on the issue of werewolves the past month.

Isaac turned to face Minato, changing the subject. It seemed like something was nagging at him. "Hey, the healing spell you used last night – what does it work on?" There was a tint of hopefulness in his voice, and it became clear to Minato what he was implying.

"Right now, I can heal recent wounds," he replied. "But stronger spells should be able to heal anything other than the most serious injuries." Weaker magic, like the one used on Akihiko's arm, would still require the aid of actual medical help. "It… won't work on actual diseases," Minato said, realizing what Isaac was thinking about. The other's face fell for a brief moment, but Minato's mind raced. They might not have personas, but they might be able to use magic. "We should probably see if you can do the same," he said. As the possibility opened up, the beta's expression shifted into a more positive one. Minato felt like he understood Isaac a little better now. Minato realized why he worked at a veterinarian's office; he'd make a good one, to be honest.

**Thou art I… and I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Star Arcana.**

_The Star represents a glimmer of hope and guidance. _

The conversation that followed was more comfortable for all of them; Minato even joined in occasionally.

–

Melissa hadn't said anything unusual when he and Scott came back; he wasn't sure how much the werewolf told her, but he could keep silent for now. She asked about his "first day" and he replied more-or-less truthfully: "it was interesting." She raised her eyebrow at that, but didn't press on.

Of course, nobody remembered to change the clock, so the Dark Hour was a little unexpected once again. Atleast one good thing came out of this one: Minato could still listen to music during it. This time Scott and Isaac–for some reason–experienced it as well: their utterly baffled reactions served as proof. "Atleast you knew about it _a day_ earlier," Stiles murmured. They just had to check for Derek and Jackson. Scott confirmed both of them were heading to their location, right outside Scott's house, so that wasn't a really problem, even though it also raised more questions.

Derek, who got there first, had come with strange news: "There's a barrier near the outskirts of the town, and I can't go past it. It's like mountain ash, but I didn't see any." Stiles suddenly widened his eyes and looked at him. "Were you all outside the line last night? Because that might be useful information." Derek nodded, brows furrowed, and Stiles quickly came to a conclusion. "There's like, a range to this thing – it doesn't work if you go outside it, probably even for the alpha pack." Minato raised an eyebrow at that, but kept silent. It was already evident that this Dark Hour was different from the ones he was used to.

Lydia and Jackson arrived a few minutes later, both quickly getting out of the latter's car. The latter seemed a little disbelieving at what was happening. "We drove past a few Shadows, so they're probably going to follow," Lydia reported. True to her word, the manifested shadow floated into view. It wore the usual pink mask, but merely consisted a floating head, pitch-black hair trailing on the ground. A large crown, larger than the head itself, was placed upon its head. It was alone, but that would change soon.

An odd glow covered it, and Minato realized what was happening. "Move out of the way!" As soon as he said, a small pulse of green-tinted wind shot out from the Tiara, aimed right at Lydia. It glanced the side of her arm as she moved, and she lightly stumbled. Stiles made a sound, but it was drowned out by Jackson's growl; before Minato could warn him, he flew at the Shadow, clawing haphazardly. Instead of passing through harmlessly, the claws gouged into the Shadow and it evaporated almost immediately. He turned to check on Lydia, but the latter was just eyeing the bruise on her hand distastefully.

_He… hurt it?_ _How?_

"Wow," he offered, only to get a smug smile in return – Minato realized that–other than his introduction the previous day, which was actually done by Lydia–it was the first time the werewolf acknowledged his presence. It seemed like Jackson enjoyed praise. A "connection" was definitely not formed, but it was a start. It seemed like the mysterious voice agreed with him.

**Thou art I… and I am thou…**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Chariot Arcana.**

_The Chariot represents victory for an individual, but only a momentary one._

It wasn't long before Minato came to a conclusion. It was possible that the werewolf "part" of someone acted as a persona, even if it couldn't directly use magic. Or maybe even the Shadows were different from what he was used to. Minato would have to test it; he turned to Stiles and threw the item he had bought at the non-werewolf. The latter was momentarily surprised, but caught it. "Uh, what's this?" he asked as he fingered the red, glittering, spherical stone. It seemed to lightly glow with mysterious warmth.

"It's a gem – it uses the same magic that Orpheus did yesterday. Well… as long as you believe it will, I suppose." They had never seen if other people could use those gems, but those with personas had no problems with it. He turned back to corner where the first Shadow had come from; another one seemed to have been following it.

Stiles clutched the gem in his hand, enveloping it completely. He closed his eyes and gulped; meanwhile, the Tiara was drawing ever closer. Scott lowered his body, ready to strike… and Isaac didn't seem too relaxed either. None of them made a move, but Minato started to raise his Evoker. The glow of the Tiara prompted Scott to jump forward, but when Stiles mouthed "no," he didn't attack. Minato wasn't too worried, since Lydia wasn't too hurt by the same attack.

It seemed to happen all so slowly: as the glow of the Tiara–which kept drawing closer–intensified, a similar glow enveloped his hand. And yet, as soon as it started… it disappeared. Stiles opened his hand to find it empty, and his eyes widened in panic as the Tiara prepared to attack. Scott tried to attack, but he wouldn't make it.

Stiles wasn't ready for the Garu spell to knock him a few feet away, almost feeling like he was flying. The Tiara wasn't ready for the blast of fire, disintegrating with a scream.

Stiles groaned on the floor, but another Tiara headed for them… "staring" right at Stiles. It seemed to learn from its deceased companions, staying as far away as possible as well. Minato needed to distract it. He tossed another gem at Isaac, telling him to use it on Stiles, and concentrated.

_Pixie and Apsaras… if I can just…!_

Almost immediately, the two personas appeared in the form of cards. Minato raised his hands, though he didn't know why. Instinctually, he gestured them together, as if guided by an outside force. The cards merged before fading, and Minato realized what just happened.

_Did I just… fuse them? On my own?_

He couldn't think about what happened, and quickly shot the Evoker at his head. This time, a muzzled girl with the features of a cat appeared. Nekomata gave a wave, and the Tiara suddenly turned toward it instead of Stiles. It let loose the Garu spell, but the agile catgirl flipped over it and brought down her claws, cleaving it into two halves.

By the time the persona disappeared and he turned back, Stiles was back on his feet and the Dia gem in Isaac's hand had vanished. "Did _anyone_ just see what I just did? I just shot a fireball, that's what I did!" He grinned at everyone, and expression intensified as Minato widened as Minato walked up to him. "Where can I get more of those?"

"Same place I got my sword, unfortunately: it's… in my head." That was a massive oversimplification, but most people didn't know about the Velvet Room. He got a baffled look, but this faded when Minato handed him the Evoker.

He took it, but shook his head at the implicit gesture. "I already tried shooting myself with it; didn't. But still, I can use the gems." Minato wasn't surprised at the revelation, but he felt he understood Stiles a little better now: he wanted to help his friends. This might seem like standard human nature, but this type of loyalty allowed S.E.E.S to be so effective. It… reminded him of them.

**Thou art I… and I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to summon a persona of the Magician Arcana…**

Of course, Tiara's weren't the only enemies that were present. Searching the streets had revealed a few Maya as well, but Minato and the werewolves easily dispatched them: Derek ambushed one, and Scott cut into another.

_More enemies than before… they'll probably get stronger and stronger._

After the cleanup, the Dark Hour ended and a new day started without much fanfare. It was still an important day for Minato: the first day of school.

––––––––––

If anyone is confused about it, the Roman numeral in the Arcana list is the "number" of the Arcana. If you look at the bottom of the Major Arcana in the Persona series, you'll see it.

Since Death isn't exactly sealed within Minato anymore, Thanatos won't break out of Orpheus, unfortunately; I have my own plans.

0. Fool (Pack): 2

I. Magician ("Stiles" Stilinski): 3

III. Empress (Melissa McCall): 2

IV. Emperor (Sheriff Stilinski): 1

V. Hierophant (Alan Deaton): 1

VII. Chariot (Jackson Whittemore): 1

VIII. Justice (Scott McCall): 2

XI. Strength (Kali): 1

XVII. Star (Isaac Lahey): 1

XVIII. Moon (Derek Hale): 1

XIX. Sun (Lydia Martin): 1

Season 3 of Teen Wolf finally started, but it goes without saying that most things here won't be the same.


End file.
